Associated PressChampionship banners hang in the right field concession area at Fenway Park, which marked the 100th anniversary of its first game Friday.

BOSTON - The day was about the ballpark, an edifice built of brick, steel and cement, but given its vibrancy by the strength of the heart.

The 100th anniversary of Fenway Park was not really about the structure. It did provide the backdrop, as it has for Red Sox players and fans through 18 Presidents and most of baseball's recorded history.

It was about all the people who have played in it, from the most famous to the most remarkably obscure.

On a day that was nothing less than magical, it was this group of people who created another once-in-a-century memory for a park that has housed so many.

There were Yaz and Fisk, Rice and Evans, Pedro and No-mah, Mo and the wildly cheered Bill Buckner. And there were names like Dick Bodrowski and Harley Hisner, folks we had forgotten about or never knew.

And let's not forget Lou Lucier, who played back in 1943 and '44.

As former players flooded the field, memories came flooding back with them. There was a favorite star, a special memory or a poignant moment for everyone, a rare moment when the 9-to-90 crowd could all share the experience.

Terry Francona got the biggest ovation of all, other than Yaz. His decision to put hurt feelings aside and show up was one of the best moves this champion former manager ever made.

If it is the players who have made the Fenway memories, it is the park that has served as New England's living room. Generations have looked at the same green trappings, often paled by the sunlight, and felt a bond that transcends explanation.

"Fenway is like the city of Boston itself, very unique,'' Pedro Martinez said.

When Martinez arrived in 1998, the common talk was aging Fenway was beloved but had to go. New owners came in 2002 and stopped all that silly talk of taking a wrecking ball to the living room.

"I've been to all the parks, National League too. Chicago (Wrigley Field) has some of the tradition, but nothing compares to Fenway,'' Martinez said.

True history and indelible memories do not need long narratives. The video screen showed a close-up of second base.

The mind kicked in to "Dave Roberts, 2004.'' No caption required.

As with any reunion, there was a sense not just of what was, but of the passage of time. Friday's pregame event will almost certainly be the last shared visit by Bobby Doerr, 94, and Johnny Pesky, 92.

They were wheeled to their middle infield spots by Tim Wakefield and Jason Varitek, with David Ortiz looking on.

After more than 200 former players, coaches and managers had been introduced, there came a first-pitch ceremony involving Thomas Fitzgerald (grandson of 1912 Boston Mayor John "Honey Fitz'' Fitgerald) and Caroline Kennedy, daughter of former President John F. Kennedy.

Martinez and Millar did a short gig with the microphone. That was nice, even if it gave the unforgettable 2004 season more of a platform than all the other 99.

The magic of the moment, though, was captured as those 200-plus players took the long, slow walk to the exit at the centerfield wall.

If you shed a tear during "Field of Dreams,'' (and it's OK to admit it, guys), this had to choke you up even more, for this was not a movie, but the real thing.

Those were real people out there, men who supplied the heroics for our grandparents and our parents, and for us and our children, too.

They had come from all over the United States, and from beyond its borders, to pay tribute to a ballpark that represents so much more than brick, steel and concrete.

Many of the greats have passed on, most notably the unforgettable No. 9, but their spirit was alive and well on Friday. As Fenway lives, so do what they meant to the Red Sox and their fans.

"I come back quite often, and no matter where you're from, you feel like family. This is like your second home,'' Martinez said.

Spoken like a man who understood that 100 years was a timeline for a park that is timeless. Welcome to New England's living room.